The Anglo-Japanese Alliance was renewed twice before the First World War. A Punch cartoon pairing a Royal Navy sailor with a Japanese soldier captures how Britain imagined the partnership after Japan's victory over Russia. Japan's army offered land power in East Asia without directly challenging the foundation of British security. Britain's relationship with Germany had deteriorated once Germany pursued a major fleet and a place in the sun. For a maritime empire, armies were less dangerous because they had to cross seas guarded by the Royal Navy. A foreign navy could instead threaten imperial communications and Britain itself, a distinction that helps explain later anxiety as Japanese sea power grew.
Notable Point · 21:16-22:44
Why Britain welcomed a strong Japanese Army but watched its navy
After the alliance was renewed, Britain still pictured Japan chiefly as a valuable army power while treating the growth of another navy as a potential threat.